Expertise Valued In IPR Cases

The judicial system's new measure to improve efficiency in trying intellectual property rights (IPRs) cases is to allow foreign experts to observe proceedings of patent rights trials involving foreign parties, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said.

SPC Vice President Cao Jianming told a national conference in Shandong Province that courts should use more people with specialist technical backgrounds to serve on people's juries in IPR trials, and even invite renowned experts to serve as full jury members.

"To improve the accuracy of deciding technical facts in such cases, local courts can also set up an expert consultation system," Cao said. But he also said the consultants' opinions should be used only as reference for judges and not as evidence.

Terrorist Camp Cracked

Beijing-based Global Times recently reported a raid by the Xinjiang police forces on a terrorist camp in a residential community of Xinjiang's capital city of Urumqi, killing two and arresting 15. The police forces also found guns, homemade bombs and equipment for training terrorists.

Xinjiang police told Global Times that the action before the Spring Festival was swift without disrupting the festive atmosphere of the community and the city. No policeman was killed but several were injured.

Merit System Set

Xi Jinping, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, recently said the Party should set officials' integrity, performance and their dedication to their work as important criteria for selecting and appointing cadres. He made the remarks at a workshop attended by delegates from the Party's Organization Department, which is in charge of promoting cadres.

The Party should give special attention to cadres who have long been working diligently in places fraught with hardships and difficulties, and promote cadres who work hard, enjoy popular support and have political integrity, Xi stressed. He vowed to severely punish crooked Party officials linked to corruption and dereliction of duty.

A Dry Spring

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said that the country's northern regions are likely to experience more frequent and severe sandstorms in spring, while eastern regions will receive less rain than last year.

"Sandstorm days" were forecast to increase significantly in east Inner Mongolia and north Hebei, with a rising possibility of severe conditions. Eastern regions could expect less rain. Some areas, especially parts of Jilin and Liaoning provinces, are prone to relatively severe drought in the spring. As a result, local forest management officials should raise the forest fire alarm level, said the CMA.

Meteorologists said that the adverse forecasts were related to the La Niña phenomenon and abnormal atmospheric circulation and would prevail until summer.

Increased Coverage of Labor Insurance

Job-related insurance is expected to cover 128 million people by year-end, with 46 million rural migrant workers among them, said Yang Zhiming, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

As an essential part of the country's efforts to enlarge its public insurance scope, China has pledged to insure more rural migrant workers. The country vowed to insure all rural migrant workers involved in highly dangerous industries by the end of 2008, the fifth year China had introduced the Work-related Injury Insurance Regulation.

Rural migrant workers in coal mines and other non-coal mines, construction industries, combustible and explosive chemical plants will get insured this year. Last year, work-related injury insurance covered 121.55 million people nationwide, including 39.66 million rural migrant workers.